Welcome To A Day of Pork, Gluttony and Lust: Orlando, Florida

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I consider myself a woman of my word, except when I am making promises to myself.  A friend and I agreed to do four 5Ks this year.  She currently has three under her belt.  I have two completed and one scheduled for December, but I find myself shockingly lackluster about trying to schedule one more in between August and the end of the year.  (Hello epitome of LAZY!)  

This same friend is considering making a pledge of doing 12 5Ks next year.  This friend is bat sh*t cray cray.  (Kidding!  Maybe ...)  I am hoping I will get a surge of commitment but right now I really enjoy sitting on my couch.

However last weekend, I was more energetic and participated with afore-mentioned friend (Miss Cray Cray) in the Great American Bacon Race in Orlando, Florida.  (Which by the way, comes to Tampa on October 3.  So all of my Tampa friends who said after the race, "Oh I would have done it with you" - have ZERO EXCUSE because the race is now coming to their backyard!

The race is for both runners and walkers alike.  It is a timed race, which always spurs my competitive side.  At one point Miss Cray Cray said "Save yourself!" which is our signal that I can go ahead and pass all the people I need to in a fervent need to beat at least some of the racers to the finish line.

At each mile mark of the 5K race, there is a "bacon station" (three total) where you grab a piece of bacon and keep going.  

First bacon station!

The final bacon station!

The third bacon station is at the finish line.  They not only have bacon but a giant vat of melted chocolate and a "topping bar" with various seasonings to flavor your bacon.  

Chocolate dipping station for Chocolate covered BACON

Topping Bar

I kept my bacon "real" and didn't add chocolate or seasonings.  I will say that stopping for bacon each mile didn't exactly make my stomach happy, but it was BACON ... so I did it anyway.  I received a giant finishers' medal and a pork-themed race t-shirt.  What more could you want out of life?

Evidently the answer to that question is: MORE PORK.  Because after the race, Miss Cray Cray and I went to one of my favorite Winter Park, Florida restaurants: "The Ravenous Pig."  We met up with another friend (Mr. Happy) who was ready to get his pork on as the Ravenous Pig was having its annual pig roast lunch.  Mr. Happy also ordered the truffle fries- which are AMAZING and Miss Cray Cray and I ate our share and then some!

Pork Roast Feast at Ravenous Pig

Truffle Fries

Lunch at The Ravenous Pig was awesome as always, but my most favorite part of the meal was the bacon-laden collard greens.  They were so vinegar-y with a spicy kick.  I could have eaten a vat of them.  It's too bad this was a special one-day only menu because I would go back for more of those collard greens!

So Bacon 5K, then a pork barbecue lunch ... that's enough pork for one person, right?

Au contraire!

Before heading back to Tampa, I convinced Miss Cray Cray that we needed to do dessert and then get PORK to-go orders at Pig Floyd's Urban Barbakoa in the Mills 50 region of Orlando, Florida.  For two reasons: 1) it consistently gets great reviews for best new barbecue restaurant and 2) I think the owner is super hot.  

What can I say?  

I love barbecue and good looking tall men.  

Is that a crime, people? 

Miss Cray Cray and I were very excited that Pig Floyd's offers two delightful sounding desserts that we could share.  They have the Black and Tan which is chocolate chip blondie chunks, Mexican chocolate sauce, cookies and cream pudding and then topped with a generous cap of whipped cream.  The other dessert is the Cuban Banana Bread Pudding - homemade cinnamon and lemon custard, bananas, Nilla wafers and topped with whipped cream.  

However Pig Floyd's was out of the Cuban Banana Bread Pudding when we arrived!  Waaaaah!  So we each had the Black and Tan which was decadence in a little mason jar!

Black and Tan Dessert at Pig Floyd's

The über handsome Pig Floyd's owner was standing at the bar while I tried to tone down my CRAZY STALKER EYES.  For those who don't know, I tend to have insane stalker eyes when I am around people like comedian Margaret Cho, Season Five RuPaul Drag Race drag queen Jinkx Monsoon and really hot barbecue restaurant owners.  

Miss Cray Cray laughed at me - which I know secretly meant "You can try to tone down your crazy eyes all you want, but you're still screaming CRAZY STALKER EYES!"  

The owner did come over to see how we were doing - and I think I said something like "fabulous and delicious" in a ridiculously over the top, falsetto, enthusiastic voice.  (Tone it down, crazy stalker!)  I have zero game ... but I did have a really great dessert.

For take-out, I tried Pig Floyd's pulled pork, brisket and their version of "street corn" grilled corn on the cob with chili, lime and cotija cheese.  I would like to go back and try their take on a barbecue bahn mi sandwich.  I would also like to go back and continue staring at the adorable owner with my crazy stalker eyes.  The pulled pork was delicious, but of the meats the brisket was my favorite.  (Although I have to say that Four Rivers Smokehouse's brisket is better if you like more of a fatty mouthfeel.  But if you like leaner, more smoked flavor in your brisket - go with Pig Floyd's.)  

But the CORN ... oh my God, my favorite "street corn" is from Casa Tina Mexican Restaurant in Dunedin but Pig Floyd's grilled corn was insanely amazing.  I seriously would go back just for more of that grilled corn (and the dreamy owner too ... but primarily the corn ... well sort of.)

So basically last weekend was all about Orlando, Florida; pork products; gluttony and lust.  That's a pretty darn good weekend in my book!

As always, thanks for reading!

His Eye Is On The Sparrow

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Well, 2014 is almost over and 2015 is practically on our doorsteps.  I work for a company that had a long range vision plan for the year 2015, so for years everything was punctuated with a "In 2015" intense whisper.  

The seriousness behind how much we were supposed to accomplish and change "by 2015" was like a heavy weight bearing on our backs.  It was like we expected to have houses on Mars by then and God help the person who wasn't onboard to make the mission happen.  It was very much a "success OR ELSE" feeling to me.  And it gave "In 2015" this very weird, otherworldly aura.  

And now it's almost 2015, will a dreaded doomsday event occur?  Who knows?  I'm just happy to not have to hear the "terroristic inspiration" of how much we have to achieve by 2015.  Ladies and Gentlemen, 2015 is here.  Now let's live in it!  

I was recently in San Francisco, California - where I had briefly lived a million lifetimes ago.  If you read my previous post:  "A San Francisco State of Mind" you may recall on my last visit I was doing some walking down memory lane and inadvertent second hand smoking marijuana as I strolled down the Haight.  I was already in a mood of deep contemplation and examination as I had deja vu recalling the first time I had ever been to Haight-Ashbury a million lifetimes ago.

Not only was I thinking about life lessons from my youth, but l was also hungry.  (Story of my life.)  I walked past a restaurant called Sparrow Bar and Kitchen.  The song "His Eye Is On The Sparrow" started up in my head.  

The lyrics from the song "His Eye Is On The Sparrow": "I sing because I'm happy.  I sing because I'm free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me" always moves me very deeply.  I felt like this was some sort of sign.  

I was receiving a lot of spiritual nourishment (and second hand pot smoke) on my meditative walk along The Haight.  Now this restaurant seemed like it was tailor-made for a more basic nourishment.

The restaurant is adorable with a wall of reading material that has both David Chang's Lucky Peach magazine as well as a "Little Miss Trouble" kids' book.  (I have the "Little Miss Bossy" t-shirt, so even though I am 900 years old I still cater to my child self.)

The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen has soju cocktails.  Their "Blood Orange and Thyme Paloma" screamed "drink me!"  I am a sucker for herbs in my drink.  Give me a fresh squeezed grapefruit juice and vodka with a salted rim and a big old piece of fresh rosemary and I am in heaven!

I don't want to be cheesy and say "You could really taste the thyme!" in this blood orange and thyme paloma.  BUT YOU COULD REALLY TASTE THE THYME!  It was delicious and I had to physically restrain myself from ordering another.

Also can I just take a moment to give a big cheer to the San Francisco attitude?  Like Portland, Oregon, there seems to be a generally relaxed air in the citizens.  Which I am not sure why because the traffic and continued need to drive cars up steep hills always stresses me out, but the locals seem to be mellow.  (Although maybe that aforementioned pot smoke may be the reason ...)  

When I entered The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen, I asked the hostess if she had a table near an outlet.  I know this isn't Starbucks, it's a lovely restaurant.  BUT my phone was dead and I needed to summon an Uber to take me to the airport.  (I heart Uber!)  The hostess didn't even blink and instead said very nicely "I have one right over here for you."  In most any other city, I would have received a heavy sigh, an eye roll and a haughty look of disdain.  God bless you, San Francisco.

I found all of the service at The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen to be top notch.  So thank you not only to the hostess but the bartender and my server as well!

I had finished an intense meeting earlier in the day.  It was spiritually uplifting but still emotionally taxing.  And not to use food as a drug, but this really felt like a time for ... BACON.

The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen serves bacon-wrapped Scotch eggs on a bed of frisee with a sauce Cheron (which is basically Hollandaise with more lemon, some tomato paste and thyme.)  I love a good Scotch egg and I love anything wrapped in bacon, so I had to order it.

Now most Scotch eggs are horrifically overcooked.  A traditional Scotch egg is a hard boiled egg, wrapped in sausage then dredged in bread crumbs and deep-fried.  But The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen's Scotch egg was perfectly cooked.  Look at the gorgeous deep yellow center.  It was lovely.  The sauce Cheron had a nice piquant flavor although frankly the egg was so good on its own; it didn't need a sauce.

To continue with my bacon theme, I saw a "Dirty BLT" on the menu:  candied bacon, goat cheese, peppercorn-spiced remoulade and romaine lettuce on Ciabatta served with hand cut Kennebec fries.

Candied bacon?

Goat cheese?

Ciabatta?

Kennebec fries?

It's like The Sparrow had his eye on my stomach and created this sandwich just for me.

The Ciabatta roll was the best ciabatta bread I have ever had in my life.  I could have put my shoe between the Ciabatta roll and loved every bite.  

To be fair the candied bacon just tasted like regular bacon to me, but with the goat cheese and the remoulade the sandwich has this custardy, velvety, smoky awesomeness that made me a very happy camper.

The sandwich was very hearty.  After the bacon-wrapped Scotch egg, I could only eat 1/2 the sandwich.  The other half I devoured several hours later on a plane back to Tampa Bay.  It held up well!  (Thank you, world's best Ciabatta!)

The Kennebec fries were delicious, but I couldn't eat all of them.  I need a San Francisco Kennebec fries buddy!  I wonder if they have a section for "Seeking Pal to Eat Part of my Potatoes" on Craigslist?

The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen were top notch in my book.  The decor is lovely.  The atmosphere is hip but laid-back.  The service is incredibly friendly, fast and responsive.  The cocktails and food were amazing.  Win - win - win.  A great lunch in the Haight-Ashbury area.  If you are in San Francisco, I highly recommend you check it out.

Eating at The Sparrow Bar and Kitchen made me feel the same way I do when I hear Jennifer Holliday singing "His Eye Is On the Sparrow" - happy and uplifted!

As your 2014 comes to a close, I hope you are at peace and filled with joy ... and maybe filled with some bacon too!  Thanks for reading!

Ohhhhhh America: Put That Pig In A Tutu and Let's Read British Tabloids!

Hi LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I wrote today's post on Wednesday night, but Thursday night I wanted to add an additional paragraph which turned into many paragraphs.  So consider this blog post - two posts for the price of one.  One sad and one wacky, which is a good metaphor for events in my life.

On Thursday, I started my work day at 5:45 a.m.  It was a hellish day and my first break was not until 8:30 p.m.!  (Talk about exhaustion.)  I am giving reviews to my employees and my first one at 6 a.m. did not go well.  I spent the rest of the day trying to recover emotionally.    

So finally at 8:30 p.m., it was the first chance I had to look at the news BEFORE my 9 p.m. conference call.  Talk about working around the clock!

I went to CNN.com and I saw a headline about a missile and a Malaysia Airlines flight.  I first thought they were talking about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and I said a prayer of relief that finally they had found the plane.  But then I realized no, this was another Malaysia Airlines flight - reportedly shot down by a missile.  I couldn't believe I had gone the whole day without hearing any news.  Work has been so insanely busy it is easy to forget there is a world outside my window.

If you're a regular reader of LilyOnTheLam.Com (or if you know me personally), you may recall that I spent almost five weeks living in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia on an assignment.  I had never been to Malaysia and to tell you the truth when I heard I was going there I had to look it up on a map to see where it was.  (Public school education!)  I also somehow didn't know Kuala Lumpur was in Malaysia and I didn't know Borneo was Malaysia.  (Frankly, I'm lucky if I know where New Hampshire is ... ummm somewhere on the East Coast!  But hey, I am super good at pop culture trivia!)

I took Malaysia Airlines from Kuala Lumpur to Kota Kinabalu.  The flight attendants were some of the nicest I have met in a very long time (and I travel A LOT.)  Malaysia quickly became one of my favorite places in the world, which is a true compliment because I have been to many foreign cities (even if my map skills/geographic knowledge are questionable!)  Kota Kinabalu to me is like Florida, Hawaii and Taiwan all rolled up into one.  It is one of the most gorgeous places on this Earth.  The people are so friendly and open-hearted.  And THE FOOD!  So delicious - consistently terrific.  When I returned home, I made a Malaysian feast for my friends.    (Read about my adventures in Sandakan, Malaysia here.)

When Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 disappeared, I felt sorrow on many levels-- the overall tragedy and ongoing grief because no wreckage has been found and no answers have been given.  The sadness for the flight crew who most likely died in service to their passengers.  I work with people who travel all over the world - in fact two people who worked for my company were on Flt. 370.  The thought of traveling for business and losing one's life ... I can't even express the gut-punch I feel.  

I grieved for all the passengers and their families.  How torturous it must be to not have a final answer on what happened.  Most of the people on Flight 370 were Malaysian or Chinese.  I have traveled in both countries and have been treated so well by both nationalities.

Just the other day, I had been discussing with co-workers an upcoming workshop in Kuala Lumpur and who from my team would get to fly in for the event.  I knew it would not be me and I was jealous of whomever on our team would get to go to Malaysia.    

But now to hear that yet another full Malaysia Airlines flight has suffered an inexplicable tragedy ... I have no words to adequately express the sadness and sorrow for the lives lost from so many different countries and their family members who are left behind.

It is shocking and I am sure more answers will come - although probably more speculation and misdirection too as news tends to spiral out on every detail, whether true fact or rumor.  Knowing the full details will not change what has already happened.  How can you make sense of a senseless tragedy?

I had such a wonderful experience living in Malaysia.  I have so many wonderful memories that I cherish to this day.  It breaks my heart that yet another horrific tragedy has befallen a Malaysia Airlines flight.  It also makes me sad that for people who have never been to Malaysia, they may solely associate the country with these two tragedies.  This would be a shame because there is so much beauty in the country and in its proud, generous, kind people.  

I don't know why two tragedies like this have befallen Malaysia Airlines in a relatively short period of time.  What are the odds?  I pray for the families of passengers on Flight 370 and Flight 17.

P.S. Paul Brandeis Raushenbush says it much better than I ever could in his Huffington Post blog: "How Do We Respond To This Really Horrible Day?"

*****************************
Now on to my previously written Friday blog post ... a much less sad post about pigs, vegans and secret shameful love.  Sometimes the only thing we can do during times of sorrow is be grateful for what we have and try to laugh instead of cry.  I hope the following post makes you laugh and forget the world's problems, even if for a minute.

Happy Friday, LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

Another hellacious work week has come to an end - and the merriment of the weekend has begun!  After driving back and forth to Orlando twice last weekend, I am looking forward to staying closer to home and just relaxing.  How about you?

It is Day Five of "Ohhhhhh America!" week, where I shake my head at things shameful, disappointing or really awesome but I am ashamed to admit I think it is really awesome!

Today's post is all about Secret Shameful Love.  

It all happened when three straight girls went to St. Pete Pride Festival - basically a block party of food stands and information booths in honor of the wonderful gays and lesbians in Florida and beyond.  

One of my fellow attendees will forever be known as "Miss Freebie" because she was grabbing everything and anything that was given for free at the event.  Pens, canvas/mesh bags, paper fans, hand sanitizer, lollipops ... It was swag-a-rrific.  Watching Miss Freebie grab fistfuls of freebies made me miss my Mother - the original "Mrs. Freebie."

I had had a delectably spicy Bloody Mary at The Queens Head Restaurant and Euro Bar in St. Pete.  I'm not really sure what a Euro Bar is.  It sounds like a candy bar.  Or a bar of soap made out of colorful European money.  Or a euphemism for what a European tourist is smuggling in his scarily too tight Speedos.   

There were no Europeans sitting at The Queens Head's bar.  This "Euro Bar" sounds like false advertising to me!  But it is very worth it to go to The Queens Head to visit "the loo."  

(Look, I can speak British.  Or even Swiss British!)  

The Queens Head's Loo is wallpapered with British tabloids.  I seriously wanted to stay in there and read awhile ... but there was a long line of people waiting.  Perhaps next time!

The incredible heat, the rockin' DJ, an Atlantan soul singer who looked like a drag queen but was anatomically female, the Euro Bar Bloody Mary and a cup of super crazy good Tropiccool pineapple sorbet were all adding up to a relaxed, mellow, incredibly sweaty LilyOnTheLam.  I was slowly moving like I was crawling through pudding.  

And I didn't care.

But then I saw the most glorious sight.

It was like a syringe of adrenaline to my heart.

It was ...

     
A pig.

In a tutu.

Named Penelope.

At Pride.

The children's book practically writes itself here, people!

A young woman took a piglet, put it into a tutu and on a leash and took her to St. Pete Pride.  Probably the most amazing thing in the world.

In comparison, I realized that I lead the most boring life ever.  

How come I am not dressing up pigs and bringing them to social events?  I don't even own a tutu - adult-size or pig-size!  Suddenly my cats seemed very boring and oh so not colorful.  

"Hello LilyOnTheLam, this is your midlife crisis knocking on your door."

Ohhhhhh America, where we dress up bacon in ballet tutus.

Speaking of bacon, I saw this at Fresh Market ... 

WHAT THE WHAT ...

Vegan coconut bacon.  Bacon substitute made out of coconut.

Seriously - what the what?  AND WHY? 

I know readers, you want me to actually try coconut bacon and let you know how it is in one of my nifty product reviews. 

BUT I JUST CAN'T.  

I can't be the girl who eats coconut bacon. 

Seriously, I can't. 

If I can't be the girl with a pig in a tutu on a leash, I certainly CANNOT be the girl who eats coconut bacon either!  

Will someone please try this product and let me know how it is?  In the meantime, I'll be eating real bacon.  But not Penelope.

And in another porcine-related note, when I was real estate shopping with Mr. Cardamom Monroe I saw this beauty in a staged condo.

Whomever decorated this condo for open house viewing is a mighty super genius.  How can it get better than a graffitied paint splattered piggy on a table?

I nudged Mr. Cardamom Monroe and said "In the offer, make sure they throw in the pig.  I want that pig."

Mr. Cardamom Monroe pretended not to hear me.

"THE PIG!  THE PIG!" I hissed intently.  "MAKE SURE THEY THROW IN THE PIG IF YOU BUY THIS PLACE!"  I was NOT going to be ignored.

Mr. Cardamom Monroe pretended not to know me as he walked to the other end of the unit and discussed ways to spruce up the ugly track lighting with his realtor.

I looked at the paint splattered pig with my eyebrows arched.  "You will be mine, little piggy.  Oh yes, you will be mine."  I whispered.  

I don't care if Mr. Cardamom Monroe has to pay twice the asking price for this condo, I AM GETTING THAT PIG.  

It's important for a girl to have dreams.  

Ohhhhhh America!

Yes, I Love Bacon… BUT ...

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

Happy eve before Christmas eve, for those who celebrate Christmas.  Happy Monday for those who do not!

I try to avoid watching infomercials, but I caught a commercial that both captivated me and horrified me.

It's THE BACON BOWL.  Now you can eat your food in a bowl made of bacon.  

I am absolutely, positively certain that any food I eat could be made tastier if served in a bowl made out of bacon.  I have zero doubts about this … 

However, if I lived in a world where all my food was served in a bacon bowl I would also live in a world where firefighters would have to cut open a wall to get me out of my home.  The door would no longer be wide enough to get me through it.

If I ever have the urge to make a bacon bowl, I'll flip over a Texas-sized muffin pan and wrap some bacon around the muffin wells.  But for my arteries' sake, I better just say no!

Do you own a bacon bowl maker?  Share your thoughts in the comments section!

Dough or D'Oh!? Datz Dough in South Tampa

Hello LilyOnTheLam.com Readers!

We might as well call this Desserts Week at LilyOnTheLam as this will be the fourth time I have mentioned pastries this week!  What can I say?  I have a sweet tooth!

If you are a South Tampa resident, you are probably familiar with the hipster gourmet mecca that is Datz.  In the past several years, I have watched Datz evolve from a deli to a gourmet market/wine bar, to a cooking lessons haven and now highlighting its basic components - a foodie heaven.  And I have loved every stop along the way.

However, I have seen the customer service and the food quality go up and down and up and down.  Sometimes I would have the best meal ever and other times I would be so angry with the poor customer service and lackluster food quality, I would swear "never again!"  

I have consistently hated the lack of parking - even with the nearby overflow lot.  I cheered seeing valet parking this past Saturday morning, but booed the $5 price.  But in good times and in bad, I have loved having Datz be a part of the South Tampa food scene because it set the bar high with decor, hipness and a variety of upscale food choices at reasonable prices.  Datz has made the food scene better just due to its presence.

When I heard that Datz had purchased next door Kalupa Bakery and was turning it into a bakery cafe called "Dough" I cheered.  I was eager to see how Datz would turn the aged building into another hipster must-see/must-taste place.

I made two trips in the past couple months to sample various different versions of Dough's pastries.  I have yet to dine off their lunch menu, but look forward to doing so.

Gelato from Dough

Dough Bakery Case

Dough's Donuts!

Second bakery case

Part of the cafe seating area - LOVE the decor

For Trip One, I purchased: a chicken pot pie turnover, a bacon maple doughnut, a chocolate snickerdoodle - and I think a rum vanilla cupcake - I just thought it was so cute I glossed over the actual name of it.

The chicken pot pie turnover was delicious - an extremely buttery rich crust with a small amount of chicken, vegetables and gravy encapsulated within the folded over crust pocket.  Unfortunately for my tastebuds, the crust was too rich and overpowered the small amount of filling.  I would have liked some shredded chicken and a drizzle of gravy on top to balance out the extremely buttery crust.  

The bacon maple doughnut was amazing - if you like thick slabs of bacon and pure maple flavor, you will love this doughnut.  I had three friends try this doughnut recently, 2 loved it, 1 didn't care for it.  So like a gum commercial - 3 out of 4 say you should try this doughnut!

Oh and did I neglect to mention the doughnut is filled with custard?  Delicious, rich, tongue tantalizing custard .... ohhh so good!  As the world's worst photo stylist, I have positioned the maple bacon doughnut against a large purse/small trunk ("steampunk style") made out of a ouija board that I purchased on Etsy.com.  I chose to do this because the maple bacon doughnut is soooo sinfully good, it's best to call some ghosts to protect you from the devil!

The chocolate snickerdoodle ... first, I have to admit that I am an idiot.  This will come into play later in my tale.  My absolute favorite molasses snickerdoodle cookie is made by D'Amico & Sons in Minneapolis.  (Second favorite D'Amico & Sons' item?  The turkey and dried cherries pasta salad with poppyseed dressing.  AMAZING.  If you're not near a D'Amico & Sons, make a version of the pasta salad at home with this recipe.  Perfect for summer picnics and barbecues- as long as you keep it cold.)  

Which by the way, in googling D'Amico's website for this link I just remembered that there is a D'Amico & Sons in Naples, Florida and yet I have never been there.  Argh!  Another road trip is needed (and a stop for carrot cake at Mel's Diner in Bonita Springs!)

OK anyway, I love a molasses snickerdoodle cookie - well the one from Dough is a chocolate snickerdoodle cookie, but looks exactly the same as a molasses snickerdoodle.  So even though I read the sign that said "CHOCOLATE" snickerdoodle, my brain and stomach were set on a D'Amico & Sons molasses snickerdoodle.  So when I took a bite of Dough's chocolate snickerdoodle-- all sweet with delicious chocolate chunks, I was disappointed because I wanted a molasses one.  That's like my friend Miss A saying that her Cigar City Brewing bread pudding tasted too much like bread.

So if you like chocolate snickerdoodles, the one from Dough is very good.  If you apparently suffer from brain trauma like me, you won't like it because you have somehow convinced yourself that the word "chocolate" means "molasses."

Last but not least was a rum vanilla cupcake.  The cream frosting on this cupcake was rich and decadent.  The cupcake itself a little dry.  My favorite cupcakes come from Sweet Tweets Cakery in Carrollwood.  Dough's cupcake was OK, but I prefer Sweet Tweets.

My most favorite item from Dough is not pictured above - cold brewed iced coffee from local Kahwa Coffee Roasting Company.  This is by far my favorite cold brewed coffee in the  entire United States.  If you're in the Tampa Bay area, you must go to one of Kahwa's cafes or any of the local places that serve their cold brew.  It's really delicious.

The customer service at Dough on Trip One was friendly but slow.  I had the urge to jump over the bakery counter and help myself.  The ladies at Kalupa bakery were a tad bit faster.  Too bad Dough didn't hire them instead of the good-looking, faux boho-hipster wannabes.  Listen, do angst on your time - let's make it more snappy on that cold brew, OK? ;-)

Trip Two to Dough - I was going to attend a small celebration of twin one year olds birthday and since Sweet Tweets didn't open until 11 a.m. on a Saturday which was too late for my needs, I decided to get a selection of pastry from Dough instead.  

I arrived at 9 a.m. and the skinny, young, faux Boho hipster gentleman serving me was either half-asleep, hung over or both.  He acted as if he was walking through rice pudding.  I started off saying I would be placing a large order and if he could get a large box.  I then requested two items from the first bakery case and he said "OK that's it, right?" in a pained voice.  Well no, that's not it - so after each item I requested he would ask a huffy, annoyed "OK that's it, right?"  Each time he asked he got more huffy.  I would have bought more, but I was afraid I would slap him or he would slap me if I asked for one more thing.  

Side note:  There were only 2 people behind me and they were being waited on by another employee, so it's not like I was holding up a line or being really slow.  The attitude was not justified.  

Gee, I am sorry that wanting to buy multiple expensive items is making you frustrated and annoyed, Mr. Sleepy/Hungover.  Maybe you should get a job that starts later in the day!  Take a page from the deli counter workers at Fresh Market and Publix and say "What else can I get you, today?" instead of making me feel like I am wasting your time by ordering more than two items.  I love Dough's hip cafe feel, but for counter service I'd like a lot less hipness and a lot more fast, efficient customer service.  Whatever happened to upsell, upsell, upsell?

I felt like Homer Simpson shouting "D'Oh!" instead of cheering "Dough!"  

Trip Two - bakery display at Dough

Trip Two - bakery  case at Dough

A Box Full of Treats!

Despite the bad attitude/lack of good customer service, I still managed to go hog wild with the selection of deliciousness - in the picture above starting in the upper lefthand corner - a maple bacon cupcake, a red velvet brownie, Dough's version of a Ding Dong, a mini carrot cake, 2 campfire s'more tarts, 2 of Dough's version of an Oreo and of course the maple bacon doughnut described in Trip One.

My fellow taste testers - Ms. LP and Mrs. KRG joined me in trying some of the items above.  Unfortunately we chose to do this after lunch, so we didn't get a chance to try everything.  Darn stomachs!  But here's the review of what we did manage to try ...

Dough's Version of a Ding Dong - chocolate cake, whipped cream-like filling ... this should have been amazing.  Unfortunately it tasted old and dried out - like it had been in the refrigerator case much too long.  I bet this would be incredible fresh, but all 3 of us agreed it was not good as is.

Mini Carrot Cake - Mrs. KRG is a self-proclaimed carrot cake snob, so I knew we would have differing opinions on the carrot cake.  Ms. LP liked it.  I liked the frosting and the large pecans along the side of the cake, but was confused on the actual cake part.  It tasted like spice cake with a couple long, stringy dried out carrot shreds thrown in.  It did not taste like carrot cake at all and it was very dried out.  Even the crushed pineapple in the batter did not lend it any moistness.  

Mrs. KRG did not like it, plain and simple.  I have had carrot cake at Berns Steakhouse and Ocean Prime - two of the more expensive restaurants in Tampa and I still choose the very inexpensive carrot cake at Mel's Diner in Bonita Springs as the best carrot cake I have ever had.  

Campfire S'mores Tarts - I was excited to try these because I had seen them profiled on our local TV news.  The tart shell is graham cracker.  There is a layer of chocolate ganache and a homemade marshmallow.  The marshmallow is bruleed and then the whole tart is put under a dome and a smoker is used to impart a smoky flavor.  Then honey is drizzled over the entire tart.  Watching the tv show I thought "Really? Does it need honey too?  That seems like too much."  

Our three testers were in agreement on most elements of this dessert.  1) We couldn't taste any smokiness whatsoever.  2) The graham cracker tart shell was lacking flavor.  To me it reminded me of a British digestive biscuit cookie and not in a good way.  3)  The ganache was good but extremely rich and there was way too much of it.  It overpowered everything.  4)  The homemade marshmallow was extremely fresh and very, very, very good - the best part about the dish.  5) The honey was overkill.  

A better tasting tart shell, a lot less ganache, bigger marshmallow, skip the honey and don't tell people you smoked it - and you'll have a winning tart.    

The rest of the treats were left for Ms. LP, her twins and her family - so I'll have to check in with her to get reaction on the remaining pastries!

I have heard via Dough's Facebook page that they are working on their own version of the croissant doughnut, so I'll be interested to see how they stack up against local favorite Piquant Epicure & Cuisine.

So for my two trips to Dough, there were some hits and some misses (D'oh!).  I do look forward to trying their lunch menu.  Their decor is like a French bistro mixed with a cotton candy dream and I love it, love it, love it!

I appreciate that the Tampa Bay food scene continues to evolve and that we have more places in line with a "big city."  I enjoy the decor and atmosphere at Dough, as well as its sister restaurant Datz.  I think if the staff at Dough check their bakery cases to make sure the cooling isn't drying out their pastries and to make sure they keep fresh inventory, their gorgeous desserts will taste as good as they look.  Also take the counter staff on a field trip to a large Publix deli and give them a lesson on speed, efficiency and cheery dispositions.  Trust me, your customers will thank you for it.    

July 20, 2013 Update:  Datz Dough has announced via their Facebook page that starting Monday, July 22, 2013 they will start selling their own version of the croissant doughnut in limited quantities.  If you try one of Datz Dough's "faux-nuts" croissant doughnuts, let me know what you think about it in the comments section below.  If you just have to have a croissant doughnut before Monday, read my review of Piquant's new guava croissant doughnut here.